Note-sheet for automatic musical instruments.



E. B. PROUDHT.

NOTE SHEET FOR A UTOMATIOMUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1910. RENEWED DEC. 15,1916.

1,218,698. Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN B. PROUDFIT, 0F WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

NOTE-SHEET FOR AUTOIVLATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed February 18, 1910, Serial No. 544,593.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN B. PROUDFIT, a citizen of the United .States, and resident of the town of Westfield, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Note- Sheets for Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to certain new and useful improvements in perforated note sheets for self-playing or automatically operated. musical instruments, and more particularly to a novel system of marking the sheets to indicate to the performer groups of notes, each of which is to be differentiated from the adjoining groups, in such manner as the player prefers, to express his conception of the proper interpretation of the composition. The marks which I employ are of different values and constitute what I shall term phrasing indications or punctuation marks.

The perforated note sheets now so largely used, and of which I have knowledge, are marked with a waving or irregular longitudinal line indicating where the notes should be loud or soft, such line being termed the expression line. They are also marked with a line indicating the speed at which the note sheet should travel, said line being known under various names, such as the tempo line or metrostyle line. There are many variations in the methods of marking a roll or music sheet for expression as it is termed, meaning the Volume of sound, or the intensity of the sound, and the tempo, meaning the speed of the music sheet. These markings are not to be confused with my markings as the purpose thereof differs completely from the purpose of my markings.

In order to make clear the purpose of my invention, I shall. liken expression in music to expression in literature. It is quite accurate, and will serve to aid in defining my invention, to state that music is a succession of clearly defined phrases of various lengths linked together to form sentences, and these sentences in turn combined to complete paragraphs. Thus, expression in music means, in its broader sense, first the proper punctuation or division of the music into phrases,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Renewed December 1.5, 1816. Serial No. 137.251.

sentences and paragraphs, and then emphasizing or laying stress on the important parts of such phrases, sentences and paragraphs in such manner as appeals to the taste of the performer.

The difficulty in giving proper expression to music lies in knowing where to place the punctuation; how to tell where the phrases, sentences and paragraphs begin and end. Where they begin and where they end is not a matter of personal opinion of the performer. They cannot be changed by the performer any more than the punctuation marks in literature may be disregarded. The important points or climaxes are also fixed and unchangeable, but in the amount of emphasis, stress or accent, the degree of difference between the important and unimportant part, lies one of the great points of personal interpretation.

To properly play a musical composition by means of an automatic musical instrument, such as a player-piano operated pneumatically or otherwise by means of a perforated note sheet, the notes must be properly punctuated or grouped, and each group given the intended emphasis.

The perforated music sheets in use today fail utterly to indicate to the performer the punctuation of the musical composition and do not indicate in the slightest degree the beginning or the end of any group of notes requiring emphasis or separation from the adjoining groups. The result is that the ordinary perforn'ier without a musical education and training will drive a music sheet through the automatic playing intstrumcnt giving the variations in volume of sound indicated by the expression line, but will not group the notes or accentuate or emphasize any part of said groups. He will not know that he is rendering a Composition made up of phrases, sentences and paragraphs which are as clearly defined and should be as rigidly observed as similar divisions in literature.

It is the main object of this invention to provide, in a perforated music sheet, phrasing or punctuation marks of different values, which shall indicate to the perfori'ner the division of the notes into groups corresponding to phrases, sentences and paragraphs of literature.

sentence or :1

Another object of this invention is to provide certain markings between the phrasing indications, or punctuation marks, indicating the amount of mphasis to be given the notes between said punctuation marks.

will thus be seen that I not only group the notes and separate the groups by indications or marks of different values, but that I also indicate the emphasis to be given to each group of notes, the emphasis indicationsbeing arranged between the phrasing indications or punctuation marks and pref erably consisting of a continiuuis.marking extending longitudinally of the sheet from one punctuation mark tothe next.

Tn the drawing the single figure indicates a portion of a perforated music sheet provided with m y lH'lDCtllilillOl] and emphasis indications.

Ta, 1. b

ltefer g to the various parts by nu- 1n ra.ls,l designates the note sheet and 2 the pcrfzn'ations therein, by means of which the notes are sounded. On this sheet I provide a series of phrasing or punctuation indications 3, f and 5. These marks are of dif ferent values and indicate that different degreesof retard, accent, change of tone or other musical. effect should be employed to give to each mark its proper value. The mark 8 of the least value and indicates that a slight change in musical effect is to mark the notes separated. by such indication, sale change in effect pr ferably to be given at the point marked when said point reaches tliietracker bar of the instriunent. This division corresponds in value to a phrasein literature, and said marking may be lil-zeued to a comma as it hassubstantially the same function and performs substantially the same office as a comma in iglish composition. The mark 4i is of higher value and corresponds to the period of literature and indicates the end of a groupof notes of which all the ru'cceding phrases form a part. This 11 k indicates that a more pronounced musical ef'ect should be employed to separate the group of notes marked by it from the adioii Eng group. This musical effect may he'produced by a retard, accent, change of tone, hold or dwell, or other means, as may be desired by the performer.

The mark 5 is of still higher value and designates the end of what mav be termed a paragraph in the musicalcomposition. This mark indicates that the theme or melody is complete, and marks the end of a group of notes of which all the preceding phrases, and sentences form a part. The group of notes of which this mark defines the end should be distinctly separated from the next preceding group by a more marked musical effect than that employed at the preceding mark i. The performer will at once understand that the I! end of this group of notes is to be as clearly defined in. the performance of the musical coniposition as the corresponding division is defined in literature.

It is to be understood that these punctuation marks or phrasing indications are to be continued throughout the entire note sheet, and that said marks will be repeated throughout each paragraph of the composition. The marks indicating the end of a mragraph divide the note. per'iorations,into main groups, and these main groups are in turn divided into intermediate subordinate groa s bythe marks of lesser value. The

therefore, bear a distinct and well- Th marks 5 .y he termed the main marks which divide note perforations transversely of the sheet o main groups, and the marks +lare intermediate :mhordinate marks which divide the 11 groups of note perforations into subore groups, and the marks may be termed secondary subordinate marks whichdivide the subordinate groups, each ofsaid groups of note perforations bearing a distinctand well-defined relation to each other.

Eletween the phrasing indications or pu11ctuations, T place .what T term emphasis indications by which I define the amount of emp rasis to be gi en the notes in the group. These indications are continuous from one 1 hrasing mark to the next, and indicate-how the emphasis is to he applied during the playing of the entire group of notes. In the drawing T have shown the emphasis indicaticns astwoilines, (3, running longitudinally of the note sneet, saidlines diverging toindicate an increasing, emphasis, and converging to indicate a decreasing emphasis. T hese markings taken in connection with the phrasing indications or punctuations, will enable a playerto group the notes; to give the-proper emphasis to each group, andto separate the groups according to the phrasing indications.

In the .music rolls or note sheets as they have beenheretofore marked, the ordinary-player followsthe .marks on the roll without any thought ofpersonalexpression or interpretation. With rolls or note sheets marked accordingvtomy invention, a player will be informed ofthe beginning and end of each group of notes, andof the relative values of the musical effects, such as retard, accent, change of tone, hold or dwell, which is to mark the separation of the groups. However, whether the notes in each group, or at the end thereof shall be played softly or not is a matter entirely withinthe control of the. operator and is tovbe governed by his taste. For instance, he may end a paragraph softly if he desires, or with a great volume of sound,.to suit his understanding orinterpretation of the musical composition.

He should, however, observe in some manner the punctuation marks or phrasing indications which separate the groups. The player will also be informed by the emphasis marks of how the notes in each group should be emphasized, these emphasis marks being arranged between the punctuation or phrasing marks, and relating to the notes between said marks.

The value of my two sets of markings is manifest. By means of them I point out clearly and simply the fundamentals of musical expression, namely the division of the composition into groups of notes corresponding to phrases, sentences and paragraphs in literature, and indicating the emphasis to be given to the notes of each group.

It will, of course, be understood that the phrasing indications or punctuation marks may be in any form desired, those shown on the drawing being used merely by way of illustration, and I wish it understood that I am not to be limited to any particular form of mark.

It is also to be understood that the emphasis indications between the phrasing indications may be marked in any suitable manner, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise form of marking shown.

As shown in the drawing, some of the marks intersect note perforations and some of them do not, but this is quite immaterial as the placing of the marks will depend upon the character of the musical composition.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A perforated note sheet provided with main marks dividing the note perforations transversely of the sheet into main groups, said main marks indicating the ends of the themes forming the musical composition and with intermediate subordinate marks dividing the main groups of note perforations transversely of the sheet into subordinate groups, said marks differing in appearance from the main marks and indicating the sub ordinate divisions of the musical composition which make up the themes.

2. A perforated note sheet provided with main marks dividing the note-perforations transversely of the sheet into main groups, said main marks indicating the ends of themes forming the musical composition, and with intermediate subordinate marks dividing the main groups of note perforations transversely of the sheet into subordinate groups, said marks indicating the subordinate divisions of the musical composition which make up the themes.

3. A perforated music sheet provided throughout its length with marks dividing the note perforations transversely of the sheet into main groups and indicating some change in the operation of the musical instrument, and subordinate marks dividing the note sheet transversely into subordinate groups, and indicating some change in the operation of the musical instrument, the change indicated by the main group marks being more pronounced than that indicated by the subordinate group marks.

4. A perforated note sheet provided with main marks dividing the note perforations transversely of the sheet into main groups, said main marks indicating the ends of themes forming the musical composition, and with intermediate subordinate marks dividing the main groups of note perforations transversely of the sheet into subordinate groups, and indicating the subordinate divisions of the musical composition which make up the themes, and emphasis marks extending longitudinally of the sheet and extending between said group marks.

In testimony whereof I hereunto al'iix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses this 17th day of February, 1910.

EDWIN B. PROUDFIT.

Witnesses:

WM. R. DAVIS, F. R. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

